Old Image of Ayatollah Khomeini Listed as ‘Evil’ in Textbook Viral as Recent

The claim lacks proper context. The incident actually dated back to April 2024.

Fact-Check | The incident is old and is being falsely shared as a recent one.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image from a textbook chapter showing late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini listed as one of the 'most evil people of the world' is being circulated on the internet as a recent incident.

• Those sharing the photo have captioned it saying, "In Indian schoolbooks, Khomeini's listed as one of the most evil people ever. Big props to India."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

The above post had gained over three lakh views on the platform, when this report was being written. Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.

What is the truth?: The claim lacks proper context.

• The incident happened in April 2024, when a publisher named 'Acuber Books International' had listed Khomeini in the list of "most evil people" in its sixth-grade book.

• After a controversy erupted, the publisher had tendered an apology.

How did we find that out?: On performing a simple keyword search, we came across a news report published by digital news portal The Wire in April 2024.

• It talked about how Khomeini's name being included as one of the "most evil people of the world" in a Class 6 textbook triggered a controversy in Jammu and Kashmir.

• The general knowledge book named 'That's Right - 6' had published in the list, which included other leaders such as former dictator of North Korea Kim Il-sung and former emperor of Japan Hirohito.

• The publisher of the book, Acuber Books International, apologised for their error and said that it would rectify it.

The report was published on 28 April 2024.

(Source: The Wire/Screenshot)

Other sources: A Greater Kashmir report added that the content of the book was earlier misattributed to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and J&K Board of School Education (BOSE).

• The report further said that the publisher acknowledged the gravity of its mistake and said that such mischaracterisations "not only undermine truth and justice but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes."

The report was published on 27 April.

(Source: Greater Kashmir/Screenshot)

Conclusion: It is evident that the incident is old and is being falsely shared as a recent incident amid the recent conflict between Israel and Iran.

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